Sands of Time
by FullmetalFirestorm
Summary: Ed can't help but realize his attraction for Mustang might be why he's hesitant to marry. He goes to Ishval to find out.
1. Chapter 1

_Ishval: 1918_

Ed slowly walked around Mustang's office and looked at the books on the shelves and pictures of the old team on the wall. It was hard to not miss those days and hard to not be pissed at himself for enjoying what he had. In those days, all he wanted to do was keep moving and now he wished he just stayed still a little longer. To enjoy the people who wouldn't be there when his journey was over.

He pried his eyes away from the photo and walked over to Mustang's desk and contemplated sitting down. He had been waiting on the General for over two hours and he was beyond bored. Now he needed something to read or write, writing in his journal had only kept him occupied for so long. He looked at the picture of Mustang and Hughes as cadets, they looked so young and he couldn't help but wonder what Mustang looked like now. He looked up as boots echoed down the hall and finally the floor creaked and the door opened.

"Fullmetal."

It was said with a twinge of excitement and a damned smile! He still looked the same, he still looked good. Ed smiled back. "I'm not a State Alchemist anymore, you have to stop calling me that."

Roy closed the door and walked over to his desk. "So what brings you all the way out here to Ishval? Did you find something in your travels that will help you get your alchemy back or are you here to invite me to your wedding?"

Ed grimaced and Mustang saw it before he could realize he reacted. "Nah, we...haven't made plans for the wedding yet."

"What's that look for?" Roy asked and sat down.

"Nothing." Ed said and walked over to the couch and sat down next to his bags. "I brought you some books I came across in my travels and thought they might be of interest to you."

Roy sat back in his chair and studied Ed. Since the Promised Day they had moved past their old ways of arguing and irritating each other and settled into a more professional relationship. Ed would send him letters about alchemy and he would respond in turn with his own answers and left the politics and personal items out of correspondence. It was odd though, having Ed here. He had grown up. "You traveled all this way to Ishval to give me books?"

"I have more friends than just you here, you're just my first stop."

"We're friends?" Roy countered with a smirk and that got a look from Ed. One of annoyance, a warning to not try to push the issue of their truce.

Ed stood up and picked up the books and walked over to Roy's desk and dropped them on it. "Fuck you too."

"Still dramatic without the alchemy and red coat I see." Roy said and grabbed the top book and his eyebrows raised. "Where did you find this one?"

"Out west." Ed answered and watched Mustang's head tilt forward a bit and his bangs cover his face while he looked at the book. It gave him a chance to study him a little without being observed, to feel that pulse of arousal and make him wonder when his fixation with his old boss had happened. There was no denying it anymore, he had a thing for Mustang. Well that answered his question and he knew he should just leave now. "Like I said I have other people to see so..."

"Right now?" Roy asked. "You were on the last train here it's not like you have a schedule you have to meet. Look, the least I can do is give you something to eat for these books? Maybe talk about what else you've found in your attempts to get back your alchemy?"

"I've found nothing." Ed said too sharply and Roy looked up at him with the most beautiful look he had ever seen and he had to close his eyes to avoid getting flushed. Fuck. He was attracted to Roy Goddamned Mustang. This was more than just fodder for evening masturbation, this was something a hell of a lot more. "You don't need to feed me..."

"I'd appreciate the company and someone to talk to." Roy said and stood up and grabbed his new books. "Help remind me there is more to this world than just fucking sand and red tape."

He couldn't help but ask, he didn't know why he needed to know. "Are you telling me the Lieutenant isn't waiting at home for you? You're not going to make me walk in your house and see a bunch of kids you've been keeping secret from the world are you?"

"We're just old friends." Roy said and sighed. "She doesn't live with me, we don't and will not have kids and we're not dating."

"I saw you two during the promised day..."

"Just old friends." Roy said and picked up his new books. "You keep this up I'm going to keep asking about your wedding."

"Fair enough." Ed said and went to open the door for Roy. It bothered him though, why did Mustang never get married? Hughes was pushy about it, but he had a point: it made him look better as a candidate for Fuhrer. A family man image went a long way. Mustang had a reputation as a playboy so he wondered if that had something to do with it, but this was Ishval and he couldn't imagine there being a pool of ladies lined up for date night with him.

"Ed?" Roy asked as he saw Ed stare at the handle instead of opening the door. He wasn't sure how to approach this, he wasn't the kind of guy who you came to to talk about relationships.

"Sorry!" Ed said and opened the door and smiled. He caught Mustang's look of concern and added. "Long trip. Guess I shouldn't have sat down for so long, caught up with me."

"Sorry I made you wait." Roy replied and nodded to the door as his hands were full. "Make sure you lock it and let's get home. I'm sure you want to get a shower and relax."

"I can just find a barracks, be like old times..."

"Stop being a pain in the ass, Fullmetal." Roy grumbled. "Just let me be hospitable for once without having to fight you over it."


	2. Chapter 2

Ishval was simple and that was not what he was expecting. In his travels he was used to busy train stations and equally busy cities. Sometimes it was the small town where everyone noticed the traveler. After all those years of talk of the impact of Ishval, he expected so much more from the life-ruining place than a quiet military base and construction site. "So this is Ishval?"

"This is just the military base." Mustang explained. "The Ishvallan villages are out there in the desert. Reconstruction is about rebuilding and leaving, I tried to keep the military away from the damage it already did. People are still uncomfortable and afraid. It's best to keep our distance."

It was quiet, Ed observed, unlike East City or Central. He had to wonder if Mustang was missing the city life at all. He always seemed like a guy who enjoyed that life, sort of how he himself had enjoyed his life as an alchemist. He wondered if he missed it as much as he did. The excitement of it all. "Do you miss the city?"

Roy looked ahead of him and curtly said, "This is the work that needs to be done and I fought pretty hard to be the one to do it. It's not about me."

"That sounds like a 'yes'." Ed said and Mustang glanced over at him with a look of annoyance that quickly faded into a softer look. An honest one.

"What happened to that kid who demanded I fix this country. The kid who stole my money and refused to give it back until I did?"

"I'm not a kid anymore. " Ed said too abruptly then added, "I'm not letting you off the hook for that either. It's called casual conversation, bastard."

"Ah." Roy said and smirked. "That whole 'friends' thing. What other personal questions are you going to ask beyond the one about Hawkeye and I being together and me being miserable in Ishval?"

Ed looked away. The first question that came to mind made his cheeks turn a little red and he didn't want Mustang to see it. This was such a bad idea. So he did what he always did when his emotions got the better of him, he changed the conversation back to alchemy. "Have you been able to put your new clap-less alchemy to use?"

Roy looked at him, the fact he wasn't looking at him made him wonder if that was the reason for this visit. Was he asking if he was abusing the powers he gained on the Promised Day? Powers Ed no longer had? "I have not used it once since coming here."

Ed realized it sounded like he was checking up on him. They had fought about his use of the stone back then. This conversation was becoming awkward and going downhill fast. "I just ask because I know you knew a little alkhestry and I never asked if passing through the gate gave you the knowledge of that science as well."

"No, unfortunately." Roy thought about that. "I think...because I am alchemist the information I was allowed to see was limited to alchemy. It's what we believe in. I paid the price for my beliefs, not someone elses."

Ed nodded.

"You'll find an alternative to alchemy." Roy said. "Don' give up."

"I gave it up." Ed said with a sigh. "I gave up my alchemy to get my brother back. I should learn my lesson after everything I went through. I have to stop trying to cheat the system."

"You're still an alchemist if you're still looking for an answer." Roy said as they arrived at the dorms. "That is what we do. Seek the truth."

Ed bit his lip as Mustang opened the door to the dorm building. Yeah, he was here to seek the Truth alright but it wasn't about alchemy.

* * *

A shower was often a place to cool off. To have some privacy. To work out some frustrations.

Mustang's shower was not that place for him right now.

He couldn't help but take a sniff of the shampoo bottle on the shelf, even though he brought his own. He resisted for a few minutes, scrubbed his hair a little harder than he should have. He was trying to resist the urge to see if what was contained in the bottle was part of the reason Mustang smelled so damned good. He hated himself for thinking about it, no for needing it, and for giving in and taking a whiff of what was inside the fancy bottle.

It did smell like him and he felt the increase of excitement immediately and snapped the cap back on and put it on the shelf.

Fuck! When did he become this guy? He felt like some stalker. Worse, he felt like some pervert who stole panties and peaked in windows! He felt like he needed to masturbate right now or he was going to have to hide an erection at dinner. This whole trip was an awful idea, he didn't need to confirm that he was lusting after Mustang at all. He could have gone on living with this just as an occasional dream of his, gone on to finish his travels without stopping in Ishval of all places.

He could have gone home to Winry.

However he didn't have this reaction to Winry's shampoo like he had to Mustang's. Winry smelled like safety, home, comfort. He didn't want to slam her into a wall and beg her to relieve him of this ache and arousal immediately after smelling her hair. He didn't hurry to get some lotion on his hand while he thought about being pushed down into a pillow, scented by this shampoo, and having hands run over him as he begged to find out what all of this really meant.

The mere thought of that brought him to climax faster than expected and he had to bite into his hand to stop from making a sound.

He took a moment to clear his mind and let his breathing and heart rate return to normal. Certainly if he took any longer Mustang would be knocking and asking if he was drowning in here. He dared not explore that idea any more than that, and he turned into the shower spray to soap up and rinse off before turning off the water and toweling off.

The question was, what exactly was he supposed to do now that he confirmed that he did have sexual interest in his old boss? If the idea that he might be attracted to him had postponed his wedding, what the hell did he do with the knowledge that he genuinely wanted to be fucked by the guy?


End file.
